A humanitarian crisis is an event or series of events that threatens the health, safety, and well-being of a large group of people — typically overwhelming the capacity of local governments and communities to respond. These crises can be triggered by armed conflict, natural disasters, epidemics, or economic collapse, and they often force millions of people to flee their homes.
Humanitarian Crisis Definition and Types
The term “humanitarian crisis” is used broadly, but it generally describes situations where basic human needs — food, water, shelter, medical care, and safety — are not being met at scale. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) classifies emergencies by their scope and severity to coordinate international response.
Major types of humanitarian crises include:
- Armed conflict — Wars and civil conflicts are the leading cause of humanitarian emergencies. Examples include Syria, Sudan, Ukraine, and Yemen.
- Natural disasters — Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and tsunamis can destroy infrastructure and displace entire communities overnight.
- Famine and food crises — When food systems collapse due to drought, conflict, or economic failure, millions face starvation. See our guide on what is a famine.
- Epidemics and pandemics — Disease outbreaks overwhelm health systems and compound existing vulnerabilities.
- Political and economic collapse — Government failure, hyperinflation, and institutional breakdown can push populations into crisis even without a single triggering event.
Many crises involve multiple factors at once. The conflict in Syria, for example, combined civil war, economic sanctions, displacement, and infrastructure destruction — producing one of the largest refugee populations in modern history.
Examples of Humanitarian Crises Today
Several major crises are ongoing and driving displacement worldwide:
Sudan
Since April 2023, fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has displaced more than 10 million people, creating one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement crises. Famine conditions have been reported in multiple regions. Read more about the crisis in Sudan.
Ukraine
Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 displaced millions of Ukrainians both internally and across European borders. The U.S. has welcomed tens of thousands of Ukrainian parolees and refugees through programs like Uniting for Ukraine.
Afghanistan
The Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 triggered an economic and humanitarian collapse. Millions face food insecurity, and women and girls have been systematically excluded from education and public life.
Haiti
Gang violence, political instability, and natural disasters have created a compounding crisis. Hundreds of thousands are internally displaced, and basic services in Port-au-Prince have collapsed.
Gaza
The ongoing conflict has created catastrophic conditions, with severe restrictions on food, water, medical supplies, and humanitarian access. Famine conditions have been declared in parts of the territory.
How Humanitarian Crises Create Refugees
Displacement is one of the most visible consequences of any humanitarian crisis. When people can no longer survive in their homes, they move — first to safer areas within their own country (becoming internally displaced persons), and then across borders (becoming refugees).
There are currently more than 110 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. Only about 1% of refugees are ever resettled to a third country. The United States has resettled 2.5 million refugees since 1975, including families from nearly every major humanitarian crisis of the past five decades.
Dallas is one of the top U.S. cities for refugee resettlement, receiving families from Myanmar, Afghanistan, the DRC, Syria, Eritrea, and Ukraine. Understanding the crises these families fled is essential to understanding why what they need upon arrival — stability, safety, and basic furnishings — matters so deeply.
How to Help During a Humanitarian Crisis
You do not need to be on the ground in a crisis zone to make a difference:
- Support humanitarian organizations — Agencies like the IRC, UNHCR, Doctors Without Borders, and the Red Cross respond to crises globally. Financial donations are often the most flexible and effective form of support.
- Help locally — Refugee families resettled in your community have fled these exact crises. Donating furniture, volunteering, or mentoring a family provides direct, tangible support.
- Stay informed and advocate — Contact your elected representatives about funding for humanitarian aid and refugee resettlement. Public pressure influences policy.
- Avoid misinformation — Humanitarian crises attract sensationalism and political framing. Rely on credible sources like the UNHCR, UN OCHA, and established news outlets.
Be Deliberate has completed 490+ furniture deliveries to families in Dallas-Fort Worth who have survived humanitarian crises around the world. A couch, a bed, a kitchen table — these are small things that signal something powerful: you are safe, and you are welcome here.
How You Can Help
Humanitarian crises displace millions, and many of those families eventually arrive in Dallas. Be Deliberate ensures they have furniture waiting when they walk through the door of their new apartment.
- Donate Furniture — Free pickup across Dallas-Fort Worth
- Volunteer — Help deliver and set up furniture for refugee families
- Give Financially — Fund warehouse operations and welcome home kits